[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 254 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 254

         Commemorating June 20, 2019, as ``World Refugee Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 20, 2019

  Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Carper, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. 
Coons, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Harris, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Markey, Ms. Hirono, 
Mr. Casey, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Booker, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Merkley, 
  Mr. Kaine, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Reed, Ms. Smith, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Van 
  Hollen, Ms. Duckworth, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Brown, Mr. Schumer, and 
Mrs. Shaheen) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
         Commemorating June 20, 2019, as ``World Refugee Day''.

Whereas World Refugee Day is a global day to acknowledge the courage, strength, 
        and determination of women, men, and children who are forced to flee 
        their homes due to persecution;
Whereas, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 
        (referred to in this preamble as ``UNHCR'') and the Refugee Act of 1980 
        (Public Law 96-212), a refugee is someone who--

    (1) is outside of the country of his or her nationality; and

    (2) is unable or unwilling to return because of persecution or a well-
founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, 
political opinion, or membership in a particular social group;

Whereas according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees--

    (1) there are more than 70,800,000 displaced people worldwide, the 
worst displacement crisis in global history, including 25,900,000 refugees, 
more than 41,300,000 internally displaced people, and 3,500,000 asylum 
seekers;

    (2) the refugee population under UNHCR's mandate has nearly doubled 
since 2012;

    (3) 67 percent of the world's refugees come from just 5 countries: 
Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Burma, and Somalia;

    (4) children account for about \1/2\ of the refugee population in the 
world, millions of whom are unable to access basic services including 
education;

    (5) 13,600,000 individuals were newly displaced due to conflict or 
persecution in 2018, including 10,800,000 internally displaced persons and 
2,800,000 refugees and asylum seekers, an average of 37,000 people per day;

    (6) more than \1/2\ of Syrians lived in displacement in 2018, either 
displaced across international borders or within their own country;

    (7) for the fourth consecutive year, Lebanon hosted the largest number 
of refugees relative to its population, where 1 in 6 people are refugees;

    (8) more than 1,400,000 refugees were in need of resettlement to a 
third country in 2018; and

    (9) 25 countries admitted 92,400 refugees for resettlement in 2018;

Whereas refugee children are 5 times more likely to be out of school than 
        nonrefugee children;
Whereas refugees who are women and children are often at greater risk of 
        violence, human trafficking, exploitation, and gender-based violence;
Whereas the United States resettlement program is a life-saving solution 
        critical to global humanitarian efforts, which serves to strengthen 
        global security, advance United States foreign policy goals, and support 
        regional host countries, while assisting individuals and families in 
        need;
Whereas, during the first 6 months of fiscal year 2019, the United States 
        welcomed 12,155 refugees into the country, which is fewer than 50 
        percent of the administration's refugee admissions goal of 30,000 
        refugees;
Whereas, at this pace, the United States may not meet its fiscal year 2019 
        refugee admissions goal;
Whereas refugees are the most vetted traveler to enter the United States and are 
        subject to extensive screening checks, including in person interviews, 
        biometric data checks, and multiple interagency checks;
Whereas refugees are major contributors to local economies, pay an average of 
        $21,000 more in taxes than they receive in benefits, and revitalize 
        cities and towns by offsetting population decline and boosting economic 
        growth throughout the country by opening businesses, paying taxes, and 
        buying homes; and
Whereas several industries rely heavily on refugee workers to support their 
        economic stability, and low rates of arrivals of refugees, especially in 
        towns that rely on refugee populations to revitalize their industries, 
        has had serious impacts on economic growth: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the United 
        States to promote the safety, health, and well-being of the 
        millions of refugees, including the education of refugee 
        children and displaced persons who flee war, persecution, or 
        torture in search of peace, hope, and freedom;
            (2) recognizes those individuals who have risked their 
        lives working individually and for nongovernmental 
        organizations and international agencies, such as UNHCR, to 
        provide life-saving assistance and protection for people 
        displaced by conflicts around the world;
            (3) underscores the importance of the United States refugee 
        resettlement program as a critical tool for United States 
        global leadership--
                    (A) to leverage foreign policy;
                    (B) to strengthen national and regional security; 
                and
                    (C) to demonstrate international support of 
                refugees;
            (4) calls upon the United States Government--
                    (A) to continue providing robust funding for 
                refugee protection overseas and resettlement in the 
                United States;
                    (B) to uphold its international leadership role in 
                responding to displacement crises with humanitarian 
                assistance and protection of the most vulnerable 
                populations;
                    (C) to work in partnership with the international 
                community to find solutions to existing conflicts and 
                prevent new conflicts from beginning;
                    (D) to alleviate the burden placed on frontline 
                refugee host countries, such as the Hashemite Kingdom 
                of Jordan, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, and the 
                Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, that absorb 
                the majority of the world's refugees through 
                humanitarian and development support;
                    (E) to meet the challenges of the worst refugee 
                crisis in recorded history by increasing the number of 
                refugees welcomed to and resettled in the United States 
                to not fewer than 30,000 refugees during fiscal year 
                2019 and not fewer than 95,000 refugees during fiscal 
                year 2020; and
                    (F) to reaffirm its long-standing tradition of 
                resettling the most vulnerable refugees, regardless of 
                their country of origin or religious beliefs; and
            (5) reaffirms the goals of World Refugee Day and reiterates 
        the strong commitment to protect the millions of refugees who 
        live without material, social, or legal protections.
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